Good Deal on MBP?

Hi, this forum has been really helpful. I hope I can get some input on the following:

Came across a MacBook Pro 7,1 (Core 2, 2.4GHz) for $400 in the local CL ads. Good deal? Currently, I have a MacBook 5,2 (Core 2 , 2.13GHz).

Along with the usual "crackbook" blemishes and the padbutton working alright on the left side only, the keyboard face started snapping off at one of the corners in the past few days : (

I wanted something to last me for the next 3-4 years before I buy a new macbook.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions.


Here's a rough comparison:
MacBook 5,2
Core 2 Duo P7450 2.4 (Passmark ~1400)
GB3 1991/2232 (x32/x64)
GB2 2940/3227

MacBook Pro 7,1 ($400)
Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz (Passmark ~1500)
GB3 2136/2289
GB2 3346/3661

MacBook Pro 9,2 ($999)
i5-3210 2.5GHz (Passmark ~3800)
GB3 5100/5632
GB2 6690/7323

markusaurileus said:

Came across a MacBook Pro 7,1 (Core 2, 2.4GHz) for $400 in the local CL ads. Good deal? Currently, I have a MacBook 5,2 (Core 2 , 2.13GHz).

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That's a pretty fair deal...my wife has the exact same model. The MacBook Pro 7,1 would be a nice upgrade from your white MacBook.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

That's a pretty fair deal...my wife has the exact same model. The MacBook Pro 7,1 would be a nice upgrade from your white MacBook.

- Nick

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Hey Nick, thanks for the reply. Picked it up for $325, which I'm very happy about, esp since I was on budget. Working well and in good physical condition, but not used to how warm the aluminum can get... plastic one didn't get warm at all around the keyboard.

markusaurileus said:

Hey Nick, thanks for the reply. Picked it up for $325, which I'm very happy about, esp since I was on budget. Working well and in good physical condition, but not used to how warm the aluminum can get... plastic one didn't get warm at all around the keyboard.

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Wow...nice deal. Negotiating $75 bucks off the $400 asking price made this a great deal. Congrats!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Wow...nice deal. Negotiating $75 bucks off the $400 asking price made this a great deal. Congrats!

- Nick

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I know, I'm really happy and thankful for the guy understanding that I'm a college student haha. Either way, I totally realize that a deal like this hardly comes up.

Yeah, nice deal. Might I suggest a "laptop stand" that will elevate the bottom and allow better airflow (as well as protect you from spills if you're dumb enough to keep liquids anywhere near the computer)? If you're mechanically handy you could also contemplate opening the machine up and blowing out dust, that also will help an older machine keep cooler (it may not be necessary if you see no signs of dust around the venting areas).

Yes, the keyboard also helps vent heat so it will be a bit warmer than the MacBook was probably. Congrats!

chas_m said:

Yeah, nice deal. Might I suggest a "laptop stand" that will elevate the bottom and allow better airflow (as well as protect you from spills if you're dumb enough to keep liquids anywhere near the computer)? If you're mechanically handy you could also contemplate opening the machine up and blowing out dust, that also will help an older machine keep cooler (it may not be necessary if you see no signs of dust around the venting areas).

Yes, the keyboard also helps vent heat so it will be a bit warmer than the MacBook was probably. Congrats!

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Well it doesn't get hot enough to use a laptop stand. And now that I'm getting familiar with it, it only starts to get hot when it's been on for a while and doing something cpu-active. I think the heat was really noticeable because I was reinstalling ML, downloading updates, installing programs one after the other.

I did open it up to check for dust. Looked pretty clean

you paid a fair price.i bought a 7 with a 320gb hard drive for $375.00. speakers were shot but other than that id say it was 99 out of 100 on looks and performance, no scratches or dings. i bought a pair of speakers for $6.00 and installed them, wasnt really that bad to do. also came with one of those plastic hard snap on covers, bonus there. seems thats what they go for, unless they have a load of software on them. so you did good, enjoy.